In the United States, and other parts of North America, standard paper sizes are based on inch measurements. For example, the three most popular US paper sizes are 8.5" x 11" (Letter), 8.5" x 14" (Legal), and 11" x 17" (Tabloid/Ledger). ...
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Printing Lingo: What is “A-Series” Paper, such as A3, A4, A5, etc.?
Printing Lingo: What does “Caliper” mean in reference to Paper?
In reference to paper, the term Caliper is used to indicate the thickness of a single sheet. Caliper is only a measurement of a paper's thickness, not its weight. In the US, a paper's caliper is expressed in thousandths of an inch. For...
How to Print an Instruction Booklet for the Lowest Possible Cost
Most consumer products come with some form of printed instructions, such as a user guide, assembly manual, product handbook, or similar bound document. These instructions provide logical, step-by-step procedures for assembling, installing,...
Printing Lingo: What is Perforating?
In the commercial printing industry, Perforating refers to a procedure that creates a series of small punctures in paper or cardstock, usually along a straight line, to allow a portion of the printed piece to be easily detached by hand. A...
Many print clients request Matte Paper when Uncoated Paper is actually a better fit for their project. Here is an explanation of how these two paper stocks differ…
Being a commercial printer, I receive quote requests for a variety of print projects every day. One thing I have noticed is that when a low-luster paper stock is desired, the quote request will frequently describe the paper as "Matte." But...
Map Printing: Choosing a Size for your Folded Map
Most printed maps are oversized documents. So, unless a map is to be mounted on a wall or other flat surface, it is usually folded using a sequence of vertical and horizontal folds. Folding reduces the physical size of the map, making it...
Printing Lingo: What is Grayscale Printing?
Color Image vs Grayscale Image In the realm of commercial printing, the term Grayscale refers to a technique for creating images, such as photographs or designs, using different percentages of black ink to create varying shades of gray....
Oversized Printing: Attaining the Best Value on Long Runs of Large Posters, Charts, and Wall Maps
When looking to produce posters, charts, wall maps or other large prints, the order quantity is generally what determines the most cost-effective production method for a particular project. For example,...
Custom-Printed Binders: An Overview of the Most Popular Types of Ringed Binders
A Ringed Binder, such as the popular 3-Ring Binder, is a time-tested binding method for organizing and storing a collection of documents. The primary benefit of a ringed binder is that pages and inserts can be added or removed very...
Book Printing: Important Tips for Designing the Spine of a Hardcover or Perfect Bound Book
In addition to printing presses, commercial book printers use many other types of equipment to assist with book production. For example, trimming, scoring, folding, gluing and other bindery operations are all performed with the aid of...